Kochi: The six franchises of the inaugural edition of Super League Kerala (SLK), an ambitious initiative to develop football at grassroots level, were unveiled at a grand function here on Friday evening.
The six clubs, representing the cities of Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Kannur are Thiruvananthapuram Kombans FC, Kochi Pipers FC, Thrissur Roar FC, Calicut FC, Malappuram FC, and Kannur Squad FC.
Organised jointly by the Kerala Football Association and Scoreline Sports Private Limited, the SLK is set to commence in September this year and will run for 45 days. The matches will be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode, and Sports Council Stadium, Manjeri.
Opportunities galore Each team will comprise four foreign players, besides young and talented players from both Kerala and other states. At least 100 players from the state will be part of the league, which is expected to give them the exposure to excel at the highest level and play and learn alongside some of the world's best in the game. Currently, only very few players from Kerala are getting the opportunity to play in the Indian Super League and the I-League.
The SLK promises to open a new world for Kerala football and help aspiring local footballers develop a more professional attitude towards the game. Apart from players from various Asian countries, proven footballers and coaches from Africa, Europe, and Latin America will be part of the league.
Glittering event The six franchises of the inaugural SLK were launched at a gala ceremony held at Grand Hyatt in Bolgatty. Sports commentator and SLK board member Charu Sharma, actress and television presenter Mandira Bedi, Kerala Sports Council president U Sharaf Ali, SLK director Firoz Meeran, All Indian Football Federation vice-president N A Haris, acting secretary M Satyanarayanan, KFA general secretary P Anil Kumar, and former international footballers Shabeer Ali, I M Vijayan, Bhaichung Bhutia, C C Jacob, Victor Manjila, M M Jacob, Jo Paul Ancheri, N P Pradeep, K T Chacko, Jiju Jacob, V P Shaji, Ajayan, M Suresh and Sushanth Mathew attended the event.
DURAND CUP 2024: FIXTURES, DATES AND TIMINGS ANNOUNCED
The Durand Cup 2024 fixtures were announced on Friday, a day after the groups were revealed. The tournament will kick off with Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s match against Downtown Heroes on 27th July at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. The group stage will conclude with defending champions Mohun Bagan SG facing East Bengal FC in a repeat of last season’s final on 18th August.
All 24 participating teams are divided into six groups of four each, totaling 43 matches in a round-robin league format followed by knockout games. Matches will be held across four cities: Kolkata, Kokrajhar, Shillong, and Jamshedpur, with the latter three hosting matches from one group each. Teams from the Indian Super League (ISL), I-League, and armed forces from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh will participate in the tournament.
The group winners and the two best second-placed teams will advance to the knockout stage. In the previous edition, Mohun Bagan SG clinched their 17th Durand Cup title by defeating arch-rivals East Bengal FC 1-0.
Here’s a closer look at the the fixtures.
Durand Cup 2024 Groups
Group A (Kolkata): Mohun Bagan SG, East Bengal FC, Indian Air Force FT, Downtown Heroes FC
Group B (Kolkata): Bengaluru FC, Inter Kashi FC, Indian Navy FT, Mohammedan SC
Group C (Kolkata): Kerala Blasters FC, Mumbai City FC, Punjab FC, CISF Protectors FT
Group D (Jamshedpur): Jamshedpur FC, Chennaiyin FC, Indian Army FT, Bangladesh Army FT
Group E (Kokrajhar): Odisha FC, NorthEast United FC, Bodoland FC, BSF FT
Group F (Shillong): FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Shillong Lajong FC, Tribhuvan Army FC
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Kochi: The six franchises of the inaugural edition of Super League Kerala (SLK), an ambitious initiative to develop football at grassroots level, were unveiled at a grand function here on Friday evening.
The six clubs, representing the cities of Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Kannur are Thiruvananthapuram Kombans FC, Kochi Pipers FC, Thrissur Roar FC, Calicut FC, Malappuram FC, and Kannur Squad FC.
Opportunities galore
Each team will comprise four foreign players, besides young and talented players from both Kerala and other states. At least 100 players from the state will be part of the league, which is expected to give them the exposure to excel at the highest level and play and learn alongside some of the world's best in the game. Currently, only very few players from Kerala are getting the opportunity to play in the Indian Super League and the I-League.
The SLK promises to open a new world for Kerala football and help aspiring local footballers develop a more professional attitude towards the game. Apart from players from various Asian countries, proven footballers and coaches from Africa, Europe, and Latin America will be part of the league.
Glittering event
The six franchises of the inaugural SLK were launched at a gala ceremony held at Grand Hyatt in Bolgatty. Sports commentator and SLK board member Charu Sharma, actress and television presenter Mandira Bedi, Kerala Sports Council president U Sharaf Ali, SLK director Firoz Meeran, All Indian Football Federation vice-president N A Haris, acting secretary M Satyanarayanan, KFA general secretary P Anil Kumar, and former international footballers Shabeer Ali, I M Vijayan, Bhaichung Bhutia, C C Jacob, Victor Manjila, M M Jacob, Jo Paul Ancheri, N P Pradeep, K T Chacko, Jiju Jacob, V P Shaji, Ajayan, M Suresh and Sushanth Mathew attended the event.
DURAND CUP 2024: FIXTURES, DATES AND TIMINGS ANNOUNCED
The Durand Cup 2024 fixtures were announced on Friday, a day after the groups were revealed. The tournament will kick off with Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s match against Downtown Heroes on 27th July at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. The group stage will conclude with defending champions Mohun Bagan SG facing East Bengal FC in a repeat of last season’s final on 18th August.
All 24 participating teams are divided into six groups of four each, totaling 43 matches in a round-robin league format followed by knockout games. Matches will be held across four cities: Kolkata, Kokrajhar, Shillong, and Jamshedpur, with the latter three hosting matches from one group each. Teams from the Indian Super League (ISL), I-League, and armed forces from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh will participate in the tournament.
The group winners and the two best second-placed teams will advance to the knockout stage. In the previous edition, Mohun Bagan SG clinched their 17th Durand Cup title by defeating arch-rivals East Bengal FC 1-0.
Here’s a closer look at the the fixtures.
Durand Cup 2024 Groups
Group A (Kolkata): Mohun Bagan SG, East Bengal FC, Indian Air Force FT, Downtown Heroes FC
Group B (Kolkata): Bengaluru FC, Inter Kashi FC, Indian Navy FT, Mohammedan SC
Group C (Kolkata): Kerala Blasters FC, Mumbai City FC, Punjab FC, CISF Protectors FT
Group D (Jamshedpur): Jamshedpur FC, Chennaiyin FC, Indian Army FT, Bangladesh Army FT
Group E (Kokrajhar): Odisha FC, NorthEast United FC, Bodoland FC, BSF FT
Group F (Shillong): FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Shillong Lajong FC, Tribhuvan Army FC
https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/durand-cup-2024-fixtures-dates-and-timings-announced
Group A Fixtures
Group B Fixtures
Group C Fixtures
Group D Fixtures
Group E Fixtures
Group F Fixtures